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What's the best way to detect when I'm taking a shower? (lemmy.world)
submitted 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) by to c/homeassistant@lemmy.world
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I would like to turn on mood lighting automatically when I'm taking a shower, what's the best way to detect that?

  • I've considered humidity sensors, but that will take a while to kick in and not immediately when the shower starts.
  • I've also considered a water leak sensor but those are not meant to be trigger every day for a long time like 10-15 minutes. That would kill the battery, right?
  • Smart valves can kind of work, but it feels like overkill because I don't care about the valve functionality.

I would prefer the solution to be battery powered (don't want to be messing with too many cables around a shower), but I can't seem to find one.

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[–] [S] 5 points 5 months ago (1 child)

Good ideas, let's see

motion sensor on top of your shower

That'll detect my shower area motion not when shower in on. When I am cleaning the shower or sitting in a bathtub I don't want mood lighting or other automations to be triggered.

trying to detect the vibration of the water flow

Vibration sensor can work but it's a ceiling shower so I'll have to see if I have enough space. This is the closest to a viable solution given my situation.

a simple switch that you hit before you get into the shower

Yeah that's a fallback option, but I try to automate my home whenever I can and not perform manual tasks. I know my groggy morning self is forgetting to even hit this simple switch.

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  • [–] 5 points 5 months ago

    I would put a temperature sensor on the line feeding to your shower to trigger on a temperature rise, but it all depends whether it's accessible somewhere. Setting your trigger to something like 33 degrees would mean it only triggers on warm showers, cold showers you're on your own.

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